I couldn't help but scratch my cheek as I flipped through the various copied papers the Light had gifted me. The Amazo schematics they had… well, they were a fucking mess. Random journal entries dating back to the late '70s, various incomplete schematics for different versions of Amazo, and obviously stolen lab files from a variety of studies conducted on the remains.
Oh, it was still useful, but now it was pretty clear why there weren't a hundred of these things running around.
Well, the first big issue was that these things were expensive.
Even with all my newly accumulated wealth, I was taken aback by the potential cost of running one, let alone an entire crew. Apparently, Amazos required an extraordinary amount of upkeep just to operate for a bare few hours.
Whatever superscience gave them their abilities meant that just keeping one running could bankrupt a small country. Professor Ivo had apparently been forced to continuously rob laboratories and manufacturers just to keep one of the damn robots operational.
Still… if it were just the cost, that wouldn't be so bad. Hell, having your own pseudo-Justice League on call was probably damn near priceless.
But from what I'd read, all the early Amazos were temporary.
If the Justice League hadn't destroyed most of them, they probably would've broken down on their own eventually. There seemed to be some sort of burnout caused by their power replication, gradually damaging the Amazo whenever it used its abilities. Even under the best circumstances, one might last a few days at most unless you constantly repaired it.
Professor Ivo had attempted to fix that, and apparently he'd actually succeeded sometime in the early 2000s.
The details were sparse, but supposedly he created one that had nearly defeated the Justice League single-handedly.
Unfortunately, that one seemed to have simply disappeared into the aether. I wasn't sure whether it had been destroyed or imprisoned, since the notes didn't say much beyond some angry ranting.
Something I'd probably have to look into later.
That particular iteration had apparently used nearly all of some one-of-a-kind wonder material Ivo had managed to acquire, some sort of unique enzyme that allowed the Amazo to replicate powers. Now anyone trying to recreate it could only work with the occasional leftover scraps.
Kind of a bummer, but maybe I could figure something out with the gacha.
Hmm…
Now that I thought about it, what happened to the one I left on Apokolips?
I hadn't really gotten a chance to ask about that whole incident. Then again… bringing it up might be bad news for my new job, and I intended to milk this position for everything it was worth first.
A song touched my ears as Simmy flew into my office, several folders floating along behind her.
I put down the Amazo papers and leaned back in my chair. "What have you got for me?"
With an affirmative hum, the folders landed neatly on my desk.
I riffled through them.
Court of Owls audit, investigations into members of the Light, gift basket receipts, and…
I pulled out one of the folders and couldn't help but give an appreciative whistle as I flipped through the various profiles. Some of the less crazy villains, mercenaries, and even some of the stranger people who technically qualified as "heroes."
"Perfect work." I shot Simmy a thumbs up. "They're all here then?"
A hum of confirmation came from Simmy.
Good.
After the whole Darkseid fiasco, I'd been thinking I needed a few more heavy hitters on my side.
How long I could keep pulling the wool over Darkseid's eyes was anyone's guess.
So why not finally make use of something I'd been sitting on?
I pulled out a golden sheet of paper and looked over the Familiar Contract.
Now all I had to do was find someone willing to sign.
So… I did what every boss loves to do.
Interviews!
—
Diana was not particularly fond of Gotham. She was no magician, but even she could feel the city's cursed nature. It was a vexing sensation, her senses cloyed by the seemingly ever-present malaise whenever she came to visit.
Yet even that perpetual darkness could not dampen her smile at the sight before her.
"You look wonderful, Barbara." Diana clapped as she watched Barbara drop from her handstand.
"Thanks." Barbara smiled as she let out a breath. "Still feels surreal to be back on my feet."
"I can imagine." Diana smiled. "Would you like a little spar, perhaps?"
"I'll pass." Barbara chuckled. "I've seen the way you treat Bruce, and I'd rather not get stuck back in the chair."
Shaking her head, she strode through the Batcave and took a seat near the giant computer.
Diana still found it hilarious that it was unironically named the Batcomputer.
"I'm not that bad."
"Remember the grappling incident?" Barbara quirked an eyebrow at her.
Diana coughed and looked away. "It was a clean break, and it was not my fault he fell that way."
"Sureee." Barbara pushed herself off with one leg, spinning her chair around to face the computer.
Diana snorted and shook her head. "While I'd love to simply reminisce, Barbara, I'm here on official business."
"Yeah, yeah, I know." Barbara looked back at her and smirked. "You're the official sacrifice."
Diana raised an eyebrow. "Already counting me defeated?"
"...Less defeated, more..." Barbara waved a hand through the air. "Deflated."
"I appreciate the vote of confidence," Diana said dryly.
"It's not you, Diana." Barbara let out a drained laugh. "It's him. It's just all him."
My, Bruce really hadn't been exaggerating, had he?
"Have there been any breakthroughs in determining the source of his powers?" Diana asked.
Barbara didn't reply. She simply began typing on the computer, and a screen popped up filled with various white cards covered in text.
"What is this?"
"The betting pool." Barbara snorted.
Diana's eyes quickly scanned the various cards. At the top were theories like magic god mixed with a fourth-dimensional being, an amnesiac from the future who traveled to the past, and alien magic god?
The ideas only grew more absurd from there. Even with all her time in the League, some of these were quite... out there.
"Damian is convinced he's a time traveler of some kind. Or maybe that he's pulling things from different time periods." Barbara shook her head. "Cass and Stephanie think he's using some sort of dimensional stuff. Bruce, Jason, and I are still set on some kind of magic angle."
"...I see."
"It's a lot." Barbara chuckled as she leaned back in her chair.
"Well..." Diana paused. "It will certainly be a unique challenge, to say the least."
"Break a leg." Barbara smirked.
Diana simply shot her a dry look.
—
Diana flew across Gotham, the Goon Union tower standing tall and bright against the city's skyline. As she approached, she couldn't help but contemplate what she had learned.
While the origins of Jean Valjean's various powers were still up for debate, the most notorious among them was his so-called "luck."
That, at least, was something Diana was somewhat familiar with.
The golden luck of heroes was a blessing the gods of Olympus had bestowed more than a few times throughout history. She had faced heroes from Greece and champions of other pantheons who had been similarly blessed with providence. Ultimately, while such fortune was undeniably powerful, the best way she knew to deal with it could probably be summed up by the modern phrase, roll with the punches.
Jean Valjean's luck appeared somewhat different from the providence she knew, but hopefully the similarities would be enough.
So she had no particular plan for this first contact.
Beyond the abruptness of the meeting, anyway.
It was… perhaps a little rude to simply arrive unannounced, but the message he had included with the rather extravagant gift basket sent to Clark had said anytime. Besides, Diana couldn't deny her own curiosity. She wanted to see this infamous luck firsthand.
What was the worst that could happen?
Diana spotted an open window near the top floor, where she knew his apartment was located. She could already make out several figures inside, which was a relief. It would have been rather awkward to fly through the window only to find the apartment empty.
"Greetings. My apologies for—"
A plate shattered against the floor.
Diana blinked as she finally got a proper look around.
A buffet table had been set up off to one side, but it was the guests who immediately caught her attention.
Villains and mercenaries stood scattered throughout the room. Giganta was holding a plate near the buffet, and Diana recognized several of Flash's Rogues among the crowd.
Then the door to her left clicked open.
Diana glanced over and froze.
Cheetah.
Jean Valjean stepped out behind her, staring down at a piece of paper.
"I see. Thank you for coming today, Ms. Minerva. I really think—"
Cheetah stopped dead as she noticed Diana.
Jean Valjean promptly bumped into her back and looked up.
He paused, then blinked.
A moment of silence stretched between them as their eyes locked.
The tension in the room skyrocketed as Diana noticed the various villains and mercenaries around them subtly preparing to strike.
Then, like a knife, Jean Valjean's voice cut straight through it.
"Ah…" Jean raised a finger. "You're here for the interview, right?"
"...Yes."
"Perfect!" Jean Valjean clapped his hands and motioned her into the room.
Diana slowly followed as the entire room of villains and mercenaries simply stared at her.
Hera give her strength…
***
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